Menomonee Falls Kohl's retail theft; multiple women face felony charges
Kohl's theft, multiple women charged
A group of women faces felony charges after police said they stole more than $1,000 worth of clothes from the Kohl's in Menomonee Falls.
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. - Caught on camera, a group of women faces felony charges after police say they stole more than $1,000 in clothes from the Kohl's in Menomonee Falls.
It isn’t the first time one of them has been accused.
Trail of theft
The backstory:
It was back in September when police said seven women went into the Menomonee Falls Kohl's store. Investigators say they weren’t there to shop; they were there to steal.
They left the store one-by-one, captured on surveillance cameras.
Some women had baskets full of merchandise and others had clothes tucked under their arms.
Police say none of them paid.
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The store’s loss prevention officer told police the women left with roughly $1,400 worth of items.
Kohl’s said that’s not counting the five shopping baskets they didn’t return, valued at $40 each.
Identifying the suspects
Big picture view:
Police are still trying to identify two of the suspects, but the Menomonee Falls Police Department used facial recognition software to ID Tynetra Watson and Odyssey Watson. An anonymous tip led police to Lakya Banks, and police say Precious Anderson was identified by her boss.
Her coworkers at a Germantown assisted living facility saw the surveillance pictures on the news and called the cops.
Police also identified Kaliyah Smith – even though she left Kohl's empty-handed.
Investigators say the Brookfield Police Department recognized her because of a retail theft two days earlier.
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Court records show Smith was charged with misdemeanor theft in October 2022 at the Brookfield Kohl's. Police say Smith and unknown accomplices stole from that location two days in a row.
Records show she also pulled the same stunt at a Kohl’s in West Allis.
Charges
What's next:
This week, Waukesha County prosecutors charged all the known defendants with felony retail theft – party to a crime.
Four of them are ordered to appear in court in March. An arrest warrant has been issued for Smith.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Menomonee Falls Police Department and Wisconsin Circuit Court.